Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/21
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Yeah, what Martin said.
Last year I hired a young, budding (and good) professional photographer
to help me with a soccer tournament. His gear was second hand, or
borrowed, and it bore the marks of serious and none too gentle use. He
noted how new all of my gear looked and said "You need to knock your
stuff around a bit more, it can take it!" My response was "I don't
mind if my gear is scuffed or rubbed from regular use in the hands of a
careful owner, but what I don't want is dings, cracks or bits broken
off, like your stuff!". Such damage can mean reliability or
calibration problems, and no professional photographer would want
those, ie, a pro should be careful with his gear, not rough.
Each time I talk to this young fella he asks if I'm selling anything -
he knows it's in good nick.
I don't know how I'd feel about that first good scratch on a black
paint MP .....
Rick.
On Sunday, June 22, 2003, at 05:21 AM, Martin Howard wrote:
> Dan C wrote:
>
>> Why would people be proud of their tools looking ugly?
>
> I think many would disagree with you. "Ugly" is an aesthetic
> judgement and thus personal (and social) and subjective. I think the
> M5 is one seriously ugly camera -- many disagree with me.
>
> The reason people are proud of "ugly" tools (in this sense meaning
> worn) is because they show use. They bear the mark of the people who
> have used them. The effort of use, the care, the technique, has left
> physical imprints on the tool. The physical manifestation of this
> history, what you refer to as the "uglyness", has a symbolic function:
> it shows the tool's usefulness to its owner, it shows the owner's
> care, skills, and dedication in tool ownership and in their exercise
> of the craft for which the tool is used.
>
> If someone takes pride in what they do, and do it with care, they
> typically also take pride in their "ugly" (i.e., worn) tools used in
> pursuit of that activity -- because they serve as physical
> manifestations of that sense of pride of craft.
>
> It's the difference between something that says "a camera" and
> something that says "this is a camera that has been lovingly used and
> maintained by someone in a pursuit. And that someone is me".
>
> M.
>
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